The celebrated British playwright and prolific humorist,
Peter Tinniswood, died at a London hospice aged 66. He was the originator
of "Uncle Mort" who was played with distinction on TV by the
actor Robin
Bailey

Jan25

At least 34 people were injured when a Central Line
train crashed into the tunnel wall at Chancery Lane station There
were no fatalities

Jan26

The maximum temperature of 18.3 °C at Aboyne
Aberdeenshire equals the previously highest maximum temperature for
January any where in the UK, which was at Aber (Gwynedd) on both the 10
January 1971 and 27 January 1958.

Feb1

The US space shuttle Columbia explodes on re-entry to the
earth's atmosphere, killing all seven astronauts instantly. It is believed
that the cause was damaged heat protection tiles on the left side that
resulted in a thermal breach which weakened the space shuttle's structural
integrity.

John Gregg an UDA leader in Belfast and the man who was
jailed for his attempt to murder Gerry Adams in 1984 is himself murdered
in his home city by a loyalist faction

Feb5

British-born Jackie Elliott (42) is executed by lethal
injection in Huntsville Texas for the gang rape and murder of 18-year-old
Joyce Munguia in 1986. It was the seventh execution in the state this year
and came despite widespread concerns over the original verdict

Feb14

Dolly the Sheep, the first mammal to have been
successfully cloned, died on this day in 2003, aged six years, at the Roslin
Institute in Scotland. Although cause of death was from a progressive lung
disease commonly found in sheep, Dolly was also suffering from premature
arthiritis, leading to speculation over the health of cloned animals. Her
ill health may simply have been due to her lifestyle, which was less active
than that of normal sheep. Today, whilst the debate rages over cloning, her
stuffed remains can be seen in Edinburgh's Royal Museum

Feb15

The largest public demonstration ever in London - people
marching against the British government's policy on Iraq

Feb17

The Mayor of London Ken Livingstone, who travels at the
expense of the taxpayer, introduces traffic congestion charging in Central
London

Feb27

Dr Rowan Williams is installed as the 104th Archbishop of
Cantebury at a service in Cantebury Cathedral.

Mar17

Britain and the US abandon attempts to gain UN backing
for the invasion of Saddam Hussein's Iraq.

Mar20

After years of trying to secure a diplomatic solution to
Saddam Hussein's weapons policy, the US and it's allies declares war on
Iraq. The war lasted four weeks before the regime was
overthrown.

Apr5

Monty's Pass, a 16-1 chance ridden by Barry Geraghty wins
the Grand National at Aintree by 12 lenghs. Second place in the 40-strong
field that set out went to Supreme Glory (40-1), who edged out Amberleigh
House (33-1), trained by Donald "Ginger" McCain. The race was
beamed to an estimated global TV audience of 500 million and British
bookmakers had forecast record wagering on the event of around 150 million
pounds.

Apr17

The Stevens Report is issued and finds that members of
the RUC and British Army colluded with the largest NI loyalist
paramilitary group, the Ulster Defence Association (UDA), to murder
Catholics. It also found that British military intelligence in Northern
Ireland actually prolonged the anarchy and violence.

May30

At sunrise an annular eclipse occurs in Britain. This is
where the Moon slip inside the Sun's disc to produce a "ring of
fire" around the lunar limb. The moon's size in the sky is
insufficient to completely cover the Sun's disc - as happens in a total
solar eclipse.
The sky does not go completely black; a ring or annulus of sunlight is
still visible. The next one will occur in 2093

June3

Former BBC racing commentator and correspondent Peter
Bromley dies aged 74. He had worked as the BBC's racing correspondent for
41 years and only retired after the 2001 Epsom Derby. During his career he
commentated on 202 Classic races and his voice was unique in broadcasting.

Jun5

The first new Cricket Test Ground for over 101 years.
(The last one was Bramall Lane in Sheffield). The Second Test between
England and Zimbabwe takes place at the Riverside Chester-Le-Street Durham
At the close of play on the first day England wre 298-5. Alec Stewart
became the second highest English run scorer on all time overtaking David
Gower in the process

June6

The Royal Mail announced that it is to stop transporting
post by rail after 170 years. The company said its 49 mail trains will
begin to be cancelled from next month and stopped altogether from March
2004.

Jul2

England's Soccer captain and former Manchester United
player David Beckham signs a four-year deal wth Real Madrid on 01.07.2003
and is introduced to more than 500 journalists from 25 countries at the
club's basketball stadium.

Jul6

Roger Federer wins his first Grand Slam title at
Wimbledon beating Mark Philippoussis in straight sets. On the same
day Matini Navratilova wins her twentieth Wimbledon title in the mixed
doubles equalling Billie Jean King's record

Jul7

Canon Jeffrey John withdraws his acceptance of the post
of The Bishop of Reading following a lengthy discussions with the Church
of England leaders. Canon John would have been the Church's first openly
gay bishop.

Jul20

Ben Curtis wins the British Open Golf Championship at
Royal St George's at Sandwich Kent. He was the first golfer since Tom
Watson in 1975 to win a major tournament on his debut. In addition this
was the first time he had played in a UK tournament

Aug10

The temperature in Gravesend, Kent was measured 38.1C
(100.6F) - the hottest day ever recorded in Britain. The reord had earlier
been broken when Heathrow airport registered 37.9C (100.2F). The previous
record was 37.1C (98.8F), recorded at Cheltenham in 1990.

Oct8

Actor Arnold Schwarzenegger is elected to be Governor of
California - ousting the Democratic incumbent, Gray Davis. It is the first
time in the state's history that Californians have voted to sack their
governor mid-term.

Oct10

Australian Matthew Hayden gets highest score in Test
history with an innings of 380 in the first test against Zimbabwe in
Perth. The innings contained 11 sixes, 38 fours and took 622 minutes. The
left-hander beat the previous mark of 375, set by West Indian Brian Lara
nine years ago against England.Australia won the test by an
innings and 175 runs

Oct11

England draw 0 - 0 in Turkey to qualify for the Euro 2004
tournement in Portugal. All England supporters were barred from watching
the match live.

Oct12

Bill Shoemaker a legend of US racing who rode 8,833
winners in a stunning career spanning 41 years dies in his sleep at his
home San Marino, California, he was 72. Shoemaker's total of winners
stood as a world record until broken by Laffit Pincay in 1999. "The
Shoe" had been paralysed following an accident in 1991 when his
vehicle left the road and tumbled down a ravine

Michael Schumacher (34) wins a record sixth Formula One
drivers' title by finishing eighth in the Japanese Grand Prix at
Suzuka. The previous record of five wins was held by Fangio

Oct24

Concorde
completed its last commercial flight, ending three decades of supersonic
travel.Three flights landed at Heathrow airport within five
minutes of each other with the final touchdown occurring at 4.05 p.m. BST.

Oct28

After leading the Conservative Party for 788 days, Iain
Duncan Smith loses a vote of confidence and is forced to resign as Leader
of the party. He was the first person in the party's history to have been
elected by party members. He is replaced a few days later by Howard

Nov5

A 54 year old truck painter Gary Ridgway confesses in a
Seattle courtroom to the murder of 48 women between 1982 - 1984 Known as
The Green River killer Ridgway's admission of guilt, was made under a plea
bargain so that he would not face execution "I wanted to kill as many
women as I thought were prostitutes as I possibly could," he said in
the final statement..

Nov18

President George Bush begins a three day state visit to
the UK. The visit was met with large scale demonstrations by people
opposed to the war in Iraq and US foreign policy.

Nov20

Ten Turkish and British staff are killed in the bombing
of the British Consulate in Istanbul, Turkey. Further deaths occur at the
main HSBC HQ in the city. Both explosions are identified as being linked
to al-Qaeda.

Nov22

England Rugby Union captain Martin Johnson became the
first player to lead a northern hemisphere side to the World title with a
final score of 20 - 17 against Australia. The winning points were scored
with a drop goal from Johnny Wilkinson just 26 seconds from the end of the
final in Sydney.